Alright it’s kinda weird, but it came from something my dad would always say. Veesh was his word for pretty much doing nothing. It started with “When I get home I’m gonna watch the T.V.”, then turned into T.Veesh then Veeshing. Eventually me and my brother started riding Moto and everyone at the track had some stupid team name, so my dad made stickers that said Team Veesh and under it listed Bmx, MX, Viewing and Pizza (the last two thing are my dads sports). Eventually people just started calling me Veesh and it just stuck.

What sparked your interest in filming?

I didn’t get into it till I was about 22. I had a really crappy camera when I was about 18 but never did anything with the footage. I made a few edits here and there, but when I tore my ACL I decided to film my friends till I got back on my bike, but I just kinda stuck with filming even after I started riding again. It was awesome to grow up watching BMX videos everyday, and then to learn how to film and edit was a whole new aspect of bmx that I really enjoy.

What camera did you start out on and what are you currently using?

I’m not even sure what camera I started on. I just found my dad’s old high 8 and there was some banging footage on that. I know my first try at editing was VCR to VCR and then I filmed it again off the T.V. to put the sound on it. You could imagine how that turned out.

The first legit camera I used was a Canon XH-A1. My boss at Fullerton Bikes bought it for me to use so we could make promo videos for the shop. I myself using it to film bmx more than for the shop so I kind of need to make it up to him haha. Nowadays I shoot with a Panasonic HVX 200 and a Canon 60D. I don’t really want to get into any other details because I don’t use anything that impressive and I don’t nerd out on camera gear.

What is your least favorite part of the whole filming/editing process?

Filming events can be frustrating. I don’t like competing with 10 other filmers filming the same thing. I’m not into rushing video’s out just to get them up first. The worst part is trying to make something cool out of chaos. Filming lines is my favorite thing to film but it’s usually the most work and can get old after awhile, but at the end it pays off. Other than that what’s not to like?

When I first started filming, I thought it would be cool to work for a media site but I found out later that wasn’t really my style. So Stephen Campbell and myself thought we’d start our own website just to give the projects a title and home, but as we both got busier with work we kind of lost focus on it. I continued with the idea but only here and there. It wasn’t a priority. I had a job and was still learning a lot about the filming process.

Later on when the dvd was being created, it seemed like why not use Yawn as the name for that and it might kickstart the website again. Well it did and didn’t. There’s a Tumblr but it doesn’t get updated that often. I’ve let Yawn develop it self in a way. I’m not really pushing it to be a media site as much. I’d like it to be about BMX crews such as ourselves and even promote other crew throught the country. I want to continue shooting with my friends and as we meet new people get them involved even if it’s just some clips in a mixtape or possibly a full edit if it works out. There’s a lot of cool kids and great talent out there. I’m working on putting on some jams and events that everyone can be a part of. I hope to use Yawn as a way to help the Bmx community locally and hopefully further as it grows. As far as the site, we’re working on merging with another site. I’m hoping that we’ll be up and running in a few months.

People will be familiar with the YAWN DVD that you put out. That video did a good job of highlighting some lesser known riders at the time, and I think it still holds up. Essentially, that video was comprised of your friends correct?

Yeah, I knew some of them better than others but by the time we finished filming we were all pretty tight. On one of the trips we took I’m pretty sure it was the first time Joe Molina and Pat Casey met.They got along great but watching them hang out together cracked me up. On a side note, two dudes with completely different riding styles got their enders for the dvd at the same spot, within 10 feet of each other. I’m hoping to include everyone from the dvd in more videos in the future, but there are a lot of other people we ride with that I’d like to start filming with.

Was it a casual project that turned into a solid video?

Well it started with web edits for the site but quickly changed into a dvd. I really appreciate the work that goes into making dvd’s and I feel the end product is much better. I’m really happy with how the dvd came out. Everyone in it worked really hard and I feel it shows. I’d like to think that someday we’ll make a Yawn 2 but not anytime soon. I’d like to focus on creating original web content. I know the internet is flooded with videos everyday, but it’s still young in our industry. Hopefully soon BMX can figure out a way to use the internet to make a similar impression that DVD’s have been making for years.

Is there any new YAWN stuff being planned?

I have a lot of things planned, I just need to pull the trigger and get to filming. I would like to make more edits similar to the “At the Same Damn Time” video. Completely different concept. I guess you could say they’re a “gimmick”, but I enjoy filming things that bring a challenge or at least something fun to change it up a bit. Hopefully by writing this Dave (Escobar) holds me to making the pallet edit we’ve been talking about for a while. Maybe ring in the new year with a bang!

What are some other projects you’ve been involved in?

Fox has been keeping me pretty busy. We’ve had quite a few BMX edits come out this year. I was busy editing the “Created to Destroy” series and a few of the Re-engineered videos. We are coming up with some ideas for next year that I think will turn out pretty cool. I’ve also been helping out over at Cult a lot this year. We just took a flow trip to Texas Toast. That was the first time I had ever drove to Texas and I’d pack up the van and do it again tomorrow no doubt. It was awesome being able to plan whole trip and then put out a video that reminds me of the good times on the road.

Are you pretty much the resident Cult filmer in So. Cal?

It kind of turned into that. There was a lot going on with Talk Is Cheap and still more videos needed to be made so I ended up helping out where ever I could. I find that I mostly film with the flow dudes and the So Cal events, but I’m most stoked to be working on the Shop Knowledge videos. It’s been off to a slow start but I think that Bike Shops each have their own scene and I think they’re important in keeping BMX alive. The idea is not just to showcase a bike shop, but to take a look into what that shop is about or how the employee’s are involved beyond just selling bike parts.

Ramble off some influences of yours. BMX and NON BMX.

Three names come to mind. Will Stroud and Ryan Navazio are at the top of my list. They have made some of the best videos in BMX. I really have a lot of respect for those dudes. The one other big influence I have (don’t hate me for saying it) is Chad Shackelford. He had me hooked on the Shook videos and even Shine was pretty dope too.

Outside of BMX I get inspiration from all over. I can’t say I focus on any one thing. Most of the time I’ll be filming and within the first few clips an idea will come to me on the vibe of how the video should be edited. The one other thing I could say I use as a influence would be music. If I have a song in mind I’ll have it in my head while we’re filming to kind of help the pacing of the clips and to use angles that work together and keep the video moving.

Thanks Veesh! All the best in the future. Anything yo’d like to add before we wrap this up?

I’ve got to thank the people that helped me out time and time again. Shout out to Mike Franze for getting me on my feet and always helping me out whenever I need it, Robbie Morales for keeping me busy and involved with an awesome brand and awesome people. Ryan Marcus for dealing with my stupid ideas everyday and Nuno thank you for hooking me up with this interview. Peace.